December 2013

By Kyra-lin Hom

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas – if that’s your thing. If not, hopefully you had a wonderful Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and the like. Some of my friends have celebrated Aslan Day (Aslan, the lion from the Narnia series) for years instead of Christmas. Whatever floats your boat, ‘tis the season.

Cynics beware, I am one of those irritating individuals who really just loves the holiday season. I love what it stands for: family, friends, love, charity, and all of those other sickeningly feel good things. I stand stalwart by Thanksgiving, not allowing a single Christmas decoration up in my home until after politically-incorrect-turkey-day, but then I’ll leave the tree and ornaments up until Easter. (Heck, if they make it until the June halfway point, just leave them up all year.) Yet one thing I have never done is told someone how to celebrate their holiday.

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week’s Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: calendar@robinsonnews.com
Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Dona Ozier at 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising section.

Boy Scout 375 Christmas Tree Re-Cycle
Herr Nursery Site 5 Corners at 160th Sat. & Sun., Jan 4 & 5, 8-4 p.m. $5 donation per tree. Thanks everyone for your decade of support of our primary fund raiser of the year.

Southgate Eastern Star Christmas Tree Recycle
Southgate Masonic Hall 1004 S.W. 152nd St. Sat., Jan. 4, 9-2 p.m. Suggested donation $5. No flocking or tinsel on the trees. We will happily recycle your Christmas tree back to nature. Info: Jan at 206-849-7906. Eastern Star: Making a positive impact in or community.

Boulevard Park Library January Events
12015 Roseberg Ave. S. 206-242-8662

Children & Families:

By Matt Wendland

Reckless Driver Strikes Deputy at Scene of Fire
A driver in SeaTac was charged with reckless driving on December 19th after failing to obey the direction of a King County Sheriff’s deputy. While observing the work of emergency responders at the scene of a fire near the intersection of 166th Street and 33rd Avenue South, the distracted driver struck a deputy with their vehicle and then narrowly missed a parked Medic 1 vehicle when attempting to flee the scene. The Deputy was not reported as seriously injured.

Police Arrest Man For Beating Pregnant Girlfriend in Library

Last week the King County Superior Court ruled that SeaTac Prop 1 applies to people working at large hotels and parking facilities in SeaTac but does not apply to people working for contractors, concessionaires and rental car companies at the airport.

According to an analysis, about 1,600 people work at large hotels and large airport parking lots in SeaTac. Another 4,700 people work at the airport for multinational contractors, concessionaires, and rental car agencies.

The group promoting the change, Yes for SeaTac, issued the following statement:

The county judge's decision is just another step in the march towards bringing back fair wages to the hard working men and women at Sea-Tac Airport. Men and women working full-time, sometimes even two jobs, in our billion-dollar travel and tourism industry should not have to depend on public assistance to feed their families. SeaTac's voters chose to bring back fair wages to the hard working men and women at Sea-Tac Airport.

By Scott Anthony

So how did you do on your New Year’s Resolutions this year? Did you lose any weight? Did you kick that smoking habit and were you nicer to other people? If you are anything like me, the answer to those questions is not a resounding yes, but a mitigated result riddled with qualifications, explanations and down-right excuses. I didn’t lose any weight this year like I’d hoped - (gained eight pounds) - I was not much nicer to other motorists and I haven’t done enough exercise. I guess I should get an ‘F’ on my resolution report card (I think the ‘F’ should stand for futile) but I have a new idea for the new year.

Instead of fretting about my own failings or pondering ways to improve myself, this coming year I’m going to work on things that affect not just me, but everyone. Here’s my list, not in order of importance, because it’s all equally important and I will follow each with My Vow.

Oh do I have a history? Yes. My dad had a shovel on Russett street in Portland,Ore and used it with Irish skill. He got brother Albert to dig a big garden in our back yard when Albert was not busy as a caddy at Columbia Country Club, not far from Jantzen Beach.

Our backyard was like many in the 30‘s. We had a cesspool with a wooden lid near the garden. Some early owner had put it in when they first got indoor plumbing. It was pretty rotten when my brother Russell flung me down smack dab on the cesspool lid. It broke in half and I managed to grab the edge of the pool as he grabbed me and pulled me out. He didn’t seem that sorry but kept his distance from me all day.

The garden was the pride of the neighborhood. We had corn, string beans, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, radishes and some tomatoes. Those grew best near the green spot in the yard.

We never had chickens to eat but I had two Banty hens that lived in a tiny house laying eggs wherever they liked. We had rabbits and a long wide row of raspberry bushes we often gorged on. So did the Rabbits.

Friday, Dec. 27
Boys basketball
Wenatchee 71, West Seattle 65
West Seattle took a 71-65 loss to Wenatchee in its opening game at the Wenatchee Holiday Classic despite getting a 27-point outing from DeAndre Love.
Malachi Cain contributed 14 points to the Wildcats' cause and Ruslan Burduzha also reached double figures with 10.

Girls basketball
Chief Sealth 76, Lindbergh 45
Chief Sealth won convincingly over Lindbergh in a non-league game Friday, led by the 27 points of Oshea Walker.
Sidney Proctor threw in 13 points and Allison Hadaway added 12.

Saturday, Dec. 28
Boys basketball
Shorewood Christian 91, Orcas Island 54
Shorewood Christian of West Seattle crushed Orcas Island by a 91-54 score in non-league action Saturday.
Jordan King paced the team with 21 points as Jovi Fevaleaki finished with 15 and Cameron Akers 13. Stan Domingo and Lucas Sollesvik tossed in 10 apiece.

Friday December 20 the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) celebrated the groundbreaking of the Cheryl Chow Court at the NW corner of 57th Street NW and 20th Avenue NW.

The Cheryl Chow Court is named in honor of former City Council member Cheryl Chow and will feature 50 units for seniors.

Once chair of the Seattle City Council’s Housing and Human Services Committee, Cheryl Chow was instrumental in the creation of the Urban Rest Stop in downtown Seattle 14 years ago and worked to ensure the Seattle City Council approved the development of housing for homeless families, youth and singles at the former Sand Point Naval Station at Magnuson Park.

Cheryl Chow Court will be built green and feature a rooftop garden. Moreover, the Urban Rest Stop project is planned to occupy the first floor of the building, which will provide free showers, laundry and restrooms to homeless men, women and children.

“LIHI admires and praises Cheryl Chow for her fearless leadership,” said Sharon Lee, executive Director of LIHI.

BHS student, Lucy Harstrick, was awarded the Merit Award in Cinematic Arts by The National YoungArts Foundation earlier this month.

Lucy’s film was selected out of 11 thousand submissions nationwide through a blind adjudication process by a nationally and internationally renowned panel of judges, master teachers and artists. The panel recognized the “exceptional artistic achievement” evident in her work.  

Young Arts was started in 1981 and was formerly known as the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. The YoungArts program identifies and supports young talent in the areas of music, theater, visual arts, photography, writing, and cinematic arts (motion picture).  

“I’m very impressed with the piece and would not have pushed to submit it if I didn’t think it had a really good chance,” said Matt Lawrence, Lucy’s film teacher at BHS.

By Allyce Andrew

Ballard’s latest permanent development isn’t a high-rise apartment complex, but an organic ice-cream shop that strives for the simplest values: farm-fresh, homemade treats.


The shop’s name is Parfait and though it started as a transient ice-cream truck in 2009, founder Adria Shimada decided to set roots down permanently in Ballard with her first brick-and-mortar shop. With the truck aside, Parfait is now located snugly next to the newest Skillet Dinner in downtown Ballard behind the local branch of the Seattle Public Library.


“I have lived in Ballard with my husband for almost six years, even before I opened the Parfait truck,” said Shimada.  “We have raised our son in this neighborhood.  So, it is a veritable dream come true for me to build the Parfait kitchen and workshop here.”


“Compared to the truck,” she continued, “the shop provides a better and more versatile canvas that allows for much more creativity and expression.”


Now, ice-cream enthusiasts have the option of purchasing more flavors, new toppings, push-pops, cakes, craft sodas and Parisian hot chocolate - just to name a few.